Spot on! "No mining, no modern life. No mining, no steel and cement, no glasses and minerals, no cars and buses, no cellular phones and computers, no electrical wires and cables, no TV and air-con, no malls and buildings, no tricycles and tractors. Steel, cement, copper, nails, etc. all come from mining, not from farming or fishing, not from politics or government. A typical cellphone is made up of cobalt, silver, gold and palladium - all are mineral products. Even a barong-barong or bahay kubo will require nails, hammer, saw or bolo/itak - all from mining."

We should deregulate the private sector and liberate productive businessmen and entrepreneurs to create as much value and prosperity as they can. We should welcome profit, employment, and the development of resources. We should welcome a higher standard of living. Yes to mining.

LOPEZs of ABS-CBN must live without cellphone, computer, a decent house, and everything that is made of steel or mineral just to make them realize that their anti-mining advocacy is only a fat! Wahaha!

That's indeed a problem, and people who criticize large-scale and corporate mining should recognize that too, because they tend to be very critical with corporate mining but are silent on the abuses and unsustainable practices of small scale mining.

I don't want mining to be supported in this country, for the good reason that Filipinos will be the ones with the least benefits from this. Imagine, foreign companies create mining firms in the country, they take out all the precious materials, while our people do get paid for their work these firms return those precious materials as final products--for a greater price than what our Filipino miners' salary. Capitalist exploitation at its finest.

I'd rather Philippines make mining firms OUTSIDE the country and manufacture goods. Isn't that the system of rich countries, so Philippines should emulate it.

Sound advise but we are not a rich country capable of competing against huge mining corporations. Lets be realistic, the only way we can benefit is by changing the law/policies to ensure that our country is the one that benefits the most from the country's mining sector and implement it correctly!

Based on data from the Chamber of Mines, other sources, 70-90 percent of all mining in the country are small-scale, only 10-30% are large-scale mining. Even the central bank or BSP says that they get 60% or more of their gold reserves from small scale mining. The notion that multinationals control mining in the country is wrong.

Mr. Aranes, you need to research more. You come from Davao, where a lot of gold sourced by the Central Bank comes from - are the miners there legitimate foreign companies? Aren't the small scale miners in Diwalwal Filipinos? Tell me who among the Philippine mining firms have the money to do mining outside of the Philippines?

Another ignorant follwer of Gina Lopez. You don't know that mining under FTAA brings 70% of revenue to the government. If all the illegally mined gold were done via legitimate mining, the Phil government could have been as rich as most middle east countries by now. Foreign mining companies? Who do you think drilled all the oils in the middle east and all the diamonds in South Africa? If they were exploited by foreign companies, why do middle east countries control the world's oil?

If mining is dangerous, then using fire for cooking is more dangerous because fires kill more people than mining. Let them eat raw food. So those who oppose mining and all other dangerous activities should go back to living in caves and eat raw meat.

No mining, no modern life? Haha! That's basically true and this is the main justification why mining companies should continue their operations? But look at the communities near the mining sites. Do they experience the so-called "modern life?" If you will look on another lens, yes, with mining operations near their areas, they can have jobs, but look at the big difference in terms of what they receive from what the mining firm is getting. And mind you guys, cars, buses, cellphones, computers, tv, air-con are not manufactured here. We only export the raw materials to advanced countries, then we import the finish products. Well, that is globalization right? Division of labor? But if this process continues, our own resources will be depleted. We should really push the govt to regulate mining firms and implement a responsible mining policy. With that, we can protect both the environment and the people living in the countryside which are greatly affected by mining operations. We rely on true, scientific and realistic policies that will enable us to use our resources benefit our own people.
I'm not a pro in things like this. But this is my stand in regard to the mining policies that we have right now and I hope our govt should really discuss this issue asap.

As I posted above, about 70-90 percent of all mining activities in the country are done by small-medium scale operations, only 10-30% by large-scale companies. So the fear of "foreign or multinationals control", or "big capitalist control" is wrong. I also wrote in my paper that govt should indeed regulate the industry, and that its regulations should apply to all, small to large operations.

Calling the editor of this article: You are using graphics from illegal mining. Illegal mining is the biggest reason for mercury poisoning and increasing the incidence of poverty in so-called mining areas because they are hired by chinese traders who smuggle the gold out and corrupt local officials who protect them. They destroy the environment, enslave poor people and blameeverything to legitimate mining. Gina Lopez showed pictures of illegal mining to blame legitimate mining. Yet she never said a word about illegal mining. Very honest sya!

All the stuff made by ABS-CBN, Meralco, Powerplant Mall, etc -- cement, steel, electrical cables, audio & video equiptment, OB vans and towers, etc., are products of mining. The most rabid anti-mining groups are not prepared to live in caves, no electricity, no internet, no facebook.

Nonoy Oplas the most rabid anti-mining groups are not prepared to live in caves, no electricity, no internet, no facebook. - you are probably right there man yeah not just the rabid but the funking corrupt crocodiles in the politics as wel but not all i thinkl!! but mine is i hope they choose the right mining place and when they start their mining job i hope they will regulate it THe most RABID anti mining groups also are probaly uneducated about it or they have theire own special reason why they are aginst it

Another ignorant follower of Gina Lopez. You don't know mining has planted over 15 million trees accross the country while the anti-mining people have not even planted a fraction of this. Eh ikaw, how many trees have you planted yourself?

And here are the comments from my facebook wall. Byron, apologies for not asking your permission to post your comments outside of my facebook wall. I need the readers of this blog post to see and read your points, something that many of them may share. Besides, my facebook wall is generally "public" to my 1,300+ friends and perhaps, can be seen by other people who are not my fb friends.

Nonoy OplasThanks for that insight Byron. In most anti-mining literatures that I saw and read, like in Semirara, Marinduque, Surigao, etc., the focus is on the "ugliness" of an open-pit mining sites, whether they are go or no-go zones and thus, the call for an end to large-scale, corporate mining.

Nonoy OplasI wrote in my article,
"If it is possible to do mining via underground tunnels, it should be good and cool. The problem is that it will make mining and mineral products costlier, and people will complain. They want their computers and cellphones, their TV and refrigerators, their motorcycles, cars and tractors, their construction materials and electricity rates, to be cheap and affordable."

Even the most "responsible", the most "sustainable" mining, land reclamation, highway constructions, etc., will have environmental tradeoff. Zero damage to the environment is impossible. Just a question of how much tradeoff we can accept and tolerate.

There is a need to display more responsibility on both or all sides of the mining debate. The mining companies, small to large enterprises, need to be more responsible and accountable of their actions. The anti-mining groups and individuals, need to be more realistic in admitting up to what extent of environmental damage they can tolerate because a "zero damage" to the environment is impossible, as I and others have argued above.

There will be more grey areas that will surface and this debate will continue into the future.
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